Teo Escamilla
Spanish cinematographer (1940–1997)
Teodoro Escamilla Serrano (October 23, 1940, in Seville, Spain – December 21, 1997, in Matanzas, Cuba), also known as Teo Escamilla, was a Spanish cinematographer.
Biography
After starting as a second assistant operator or camera operator, he became a cinematographer for fifty-three films, primarily Spanish or in co-production, released between 1974 and 1998.
Teo Escamilla was a frequent collaborator with director Carlos Saura, working as the cinematographer on films such as Cría cuervos (1976, featuring Geraldine Chaplin and Mónica Randall) to The Dark Night (1989, with Juan Diego and Fernando Guillén). His notable works with Saura also include Blood Wedding (1981, with Antonio Gades and Cristina Hoyos) and El amor brujo (1986, also with Antonio Gades and Cristina Hoyos).
Among other directors he collaborated with are Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón (e.g., Heart of the Forest in 1979, starring Ángela Molina) and Jaime de Armiñán (e.g., The Nest in 1980, featuring Ana Torrent).
Throughout his career, Teo Escamilla received five nominations for the Goya Award for Best Cinematography, winning one for the aforementioned L'Amour sorcier.
He was directing a new film, En busca de Cortés, but he died from a heart attack at the age of 57 on 21 December 1997 in Matanzas, Cuba.
Selected filmography
Cinematographer
Director Carlos Saura
1976: Cría cuervos
1977: Elisa, vida mía
1978: Los ojos vendados (Blindfolded Eyes)
1979: Mamá cumple cien años (Mama Turns 100)
1981: Deprisa, deprisa (Hurry, Hurry!)
1981: Bodas de sangre (Blood Wedding)
1982: Dulces horas (Sweet Hours)
1982: Antonieta
1983: Carmen
1984: Los zancos
1986: El amor brujo
1988: El Dorado
1989: La noche oscura (The Dark Night)
Other directors
1976: La ciutat cremada by Antoni Ribas
1977: Nunca es tarde by Jaime de Armiñán
1978: Sonámbulos (Sleepwalkers) by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
1978: Las palabras de Max (What Max Said) by Emilio Martínez Lázaro
1979: El corazón del bosque (Heart of the Forest) by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
1980: El nido (The Nest) by Jaime de Armiñán
1981: Maravillas by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
1982: En septiembre by Jaime de Armiñán
1984: Un été d'enfer by Michael Schock
1984: Río abajo by José Luis Borau
1984: Feroz by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
1985: Stico by Jaime de Armiñán
1985: La hora bruja (The Witching Hour) by Jaime de Armiñán
1986: Tata mía (Dear Nanny) by José Luis Borau
1987: Mi general by Jaime de Armiñán
1988: Berlín Blues by Ricardo Franco
1994: Al otro lado del túnel de Jaime de Armiñán
1995: El rey del río (King of the River) by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
1997: Cosas que dejé en La Habana (Things I Left in Havana) by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón
Other functions
1966: La Caza (The Hunt) by Carlos Saura (cameraman)
1967: Peppermint frappé by Carlos Saura (2nd assistant cameraman)
1969: La Madriguera (Honeycomb) by Carlos Saura (2nd assistant cameraman)
1970: El jardín de las delicias (The Garden of Delights) by Carlos Saura (2nd assistant operator)
1973: El espíritu de la colmena (The Spirit of the Beehive) by Victor Erice (cameraman)
1973: Ana y los lobos (Anna and the Wolves) by Carlos Saura (2nd assistant cameraman)
1974: La prima Angélica (Cousin Angelica) by Carlos Saura (cameraman)
1975: Il bianco, il giallo, il nero (The White, the Yellow, and the Black) by Sergio Corbucci (cameraman)
Awards
Goya Award for Best Photography:
In 1989, for El Dorado and Berlín Blues;
And in 1990, for La Nuit obscure and Montoyas y Tarantos
1987: Goya award for best photography, for El Amor brujo.
“Teo Escamilla” enters the record as spanish cinematographer (1940–1997). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Escamilla, Spanish and cinematographer can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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